Nov. 17, 2023
Story: Slade Rand
Big Something covers new ground and still connects with its roots in the band’s seventh studio album ‘Headspace,’ available everywhere today.
‘Headspace’ brims with creativity. Songs have happy surprises midway through, and the music clearly comes from a band inspired to push itself. The hour-and-fifteen-minute album is a confident and upbeat display of the lifelong bonds that make Big Something special.
Big Something released ‘Headspace’ today on streaming platforms, vinyl and CD. The band is readying for a winter and spring tour through more than 50 cities where it hopes to fully unleash the new music on fans. The ‘Headspace’ tour rolls through Colorado ski towns in March before hitting Mission Ballroom on March 9 with Sunsquabi and lespecial.
Access ticket details here for Big Something’s shows in Durango, Telluride, Crested Butte and Steamboat Springs.
‘Headspace’ is full of music equally fit for a morning hike or a house party. The deep trust between the six musicians is palpable, and the collaborative album creates a complete thought about embracing life.
Guitarists Nick MacDaniels and Jesse Hensley shine with extended, rocking solos on songs it’s clear they were raring to bring into the studio.
The album features Doug Marshall on bass, Casey Cranford on saxophone and his staple “electronic wind instrument,” Josh Kagel on keyboard and trumpet, and Ben Vinograd on drums joining MacDaniels and Hensley guitar and vocals.
For ‘Headspace,’ the band worked with producer John Custer to record the album at Pachyderm Recording Studios in Cannon Falls, MN.
“We cooked dinner together every night, recorded all day, and really enjoyed a special moment in time making this album,” MacDaniels said in a release.
Deep bass and drums meet electric synth to start the title track toward the end of the album. On the track ‘Headspace,’ Big Something captures a mix of the 90s rock and dance music bandmates grew up listening to.
Effects-laden overtures mix with thick funk basslines and high-powered guitar solos giving each corner of Big Something its moment on the 12-track album.
The album opens with a mindful tribute to MacDaniels’ lifelong friend and frequent Big Something lyricist Paul Interdonato who passed in 2017. ‘The Mountain’ crashes in on top of an airy electronic tone and patient guitar, with lyrics Interdonato wrote.
MacDaniels belts phrases about climbing higher, feeling the sun and seeing clearer. The track invokes the album’s message of moving forward and finding peace.
“‘The Mountain’ started with one of the last lyrics I have written down in a journal from Paul,” MacDaniels said in a release. “Coming up the mountain, I can see it all again – the chorus is a metaphor for getting over trauma.”
Further honoring their friend, Big Something re-recorded a raucous version on ‘Amanda Lynn’ off the band’s 2010 debut ‘Songs From the Middle of Nowhere’ for this new album. MacDaniels said it’s the first song he and Interdonato wrote for Big Something. The new take soars high and captures the infectious fun of being in the room with Big Something.
Big Something hopes the themes of ‘Headspace’ can help people talk about mental health and share community acknowledging personal wellness challenges.
Big Something announced support for organizations that work toward a healthier society while rolling out singles ahead of ‘Headspace’ this fall, including Sound Mind Live and the Last Prisoner Project.
Sound Mind Live is “a non-profit organization that catalyzes action on mental health by fostering community, open dialogue and support-seeking on mental health through the power of music.”
“We’re so thrilled to be partnering with Big Something, and that the band is taking a courageous stand to use their voice to open up conversation on mental health and increase access to resources,” Sound Mind Live Executive Director Chris Bullard said in a release.
The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a “national, nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to reforming our criminal justice system through progressive drug policy. Through legal intervention, constituent support, advocacy campaigns, and policy change LPP aims to repair the harms of the discriminatory and counterproductive War On Drugs.” Click here to read more about LPP.
On ‘Headspace’ track ‘Algorithm’ the band talks directly about how devices with screens and social media can end up hurting people looking for personal connection.
“We talk around in circles back and forth… We go stroking our egos,” MacDaniels sings.
Through it all, ‘Headspace’ offers hope and community. The album explores moments of triumph and challenge in modern mental healthcare, and the band lets its fans know they’re not alone.
“How long until enough is enough? How long until we start a new chain reaction?,” the band asks on ‘Algorithm.’
‘Headspace’ is available to listen to on streaming services, YouTube and physical format from the band. Big Something returns to Colorado this spring and joins Sunsquabi and lespecial for a throw down at Mission Ballroom on March 9 — tickets are available here.
After Midnight 
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